Enlightenment Thinkers DBQ - Weebly



By the later 17thcentury monarchs became convinced that God had ordained their right to govern, and that mean that people had a moral and religious obligation to obey them. This concept was known as the divine right of monarchs. James I of England, who ruled from 1603 to 1625, summed it up in this way "the King is from God and the law is from the King," making it very clear that an illegal act was an ungodly act.

Towards the end of the 17th century as monarchs became more absolute, philosophers, and intellectuals began to question their right to rule and the political structures that existed sparking the period titled the enlightenment. Philosophers argued that since people existed before governments did, governments arose to meet the needs of the people. What were the needs of the people and how should a government function to meet them? These questions were ones that the famous enlightenment philosophers John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau debated through their writings.

Your task: Read through the documents and decide for yourself: Which Enlightenment philosopher is right regarding the purpose and structure of government?

Thomas Hobbes

[pic]Thomas Hobbes was one of the first English Enlightenment philosophers. He believed in a strong government based on reason. The following is an excerpt from his most famous work The Leviathan.

“Nature has made men so equal in with regards to how strong and smart they are that there is not much difference between two men. Because men are so similar in ability, if any two men desire the same thing, they compete for it and become enemies. When this happens, and if there is no strong government to keep them all in check, they will start a war with each other. In war there is no place for business or prosperity (success... Worst of all, there is continual (constant) fear and danger of violent death. The life of man is lonely, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

In order to live a more happy life and escape that miserable condition of war, men must give up their freedom to the government. The power of the government must be absolute (complete, total) in order to keep men in check, and in order to force them by fear of punishment to treat each other kindly.

Source: Thomas Hobbes, “The Leviathan,” published in 1651

Thomas Hobbes

1. According to Thomas Hobbes, why do men become enemies?

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2. According to Thomas Hobbes, what do men have to do in order to avoid war? Do you agree with Hobbes? Explain.

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3. What type of government do you think Thomas Hobbes would want? List at least 1 positive consequence and 1 negative consequence of Hobbes' ideal government.

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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Rousseau was a French philosopher and author during the Enlightenment. He saw current governments as corrupt. The following is an excerpt from his most famous work, The Social Contract, where he talks about his idea for government.

Source: Jean-Jacque Rousseau, “The Social Contract,” written in 1762

"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains (slavery). This is because Man has given up his freedom to many masters in order to preserve (protect) his life. This primitive (outdated) condition can continue no longer. The problem now is to find a form of government that will defend the life and possessions of each member while still allowing each member to govern himself and remain as free as before. The Social Contract provides the solution to this fundamental (important) problem. The masses (all people) must unite together. This union of all people is called the general will.

Each person must put himself and all his power under the control of the general will and must obey whatever the general will decides. Each member has the same power and is an equally important part of the whole (the general will).

Through this Social Contract, man keeps as many of the freedoms he received from nature as possible. Each man, by giving his freedom to everyone, gives his freedom to no one. Because each person gives their freedom to the general will, they also become part of the general will and have the same power as everyone else in the general will.”

1. Explain: What does Rousseau mean when he says “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains”?

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2. According to Rousseau, what is the general will and why do people give up their freedom for it?

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3. Why would Thomas Hobbes disagree with Rousseau? (think about his theories on the reasons for war)

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4. What type of government does Rousseau want? List at least 1 positive consequence and 1 negative consequence of Rousseau' ideal government.

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John Locke[pic]

John Locke was a famous English Enlightenment philosopher that lived from 1632-1704. The following is an excerpt from his Second Treatise on Government. In it, Locke expresses his views on politics and government.

Source: John Locke, “The Second Treatise of Government” published 1689

“All men are naturally born in a state of perfect freedom. They are equal and independent, and can act how they want to. This state of nature is governed by a law of nature. The law of nature says that no one should harm another person in his natural rights to life, liberty, and property (possessions).To maintain (keep) this natural state of freedom and equality, men agree to join together into a community to live comfortable, peaceful lives, and also to have security against any people that might desire to harm them and take away their nature rights.

When every individual in a community has agreed to join together, the community makes a government. Men agree to enter into society to preserve (keep) their natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Because of this, when the government tries to take away or destroy the life, liberty, or property of the people, the government puts itself in a state of war with the people. At this point, the people do not need to obey the government anymore and every right to overthrow it."

John Locke

1. Identify: According to John Locke, what are the “natural rights” of all men?

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2. Explain: According to John Locke, why do people unite to form communities and governments? When should people disobey or rebel against the government?

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3.: Why would Rousseau be opposed to forming a "community"? (think his idea of why people are in "chains")?

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4. . What type of government does Locke want? List at least 1 positive consequence and 1 negative consequence of Locke's ideal government

(Think about the effect of people constantly overthrowing the government)

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Based on the primary sources provided, which philosopher is right regarding the purpose and structure of government:

In my opinion ______________________ (Name of philosopher) is right on the purpose and structure of government, his government would be effective because ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I In my opinion ______________________ (Name of philosopher) is wrong t on the purpose and structure of government , his government would lead to major problems because ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

|MAKING YOUR CLAIM AS A HISTORIAN |PROVIDING EVIDENCE AS A HISTORIAN |

|Based upon my examination of the sources.... |As it states in the sources… |

|My historical analysis concludes... |If we examine these sources… |

|In my opinion… |My argument is supported by |

|CONTINUING THE HISTORICAL CONVERSATION |DISAGREEING WITH OTHER HISTORIANS |

|I’d like to focus on… |I disagree with what _____ said about… |

|I’d like to introduce a new idea, which is… |I’m not sure about the idea about… because…. |

|I wonder if anyone has a thought about… |I mostly agree with what _____ said about….but I’d like to disagree in some ways, which |

|Something that confuses me is… |are…. |

|AGREEING/ADDING ON TO OTHER HISTORICAL IDEAS |CLARIFYING (MAKING IT CLEAR) WHAT A HISTORIAN SAYS |

|To build on what ____ historian said …. |_________, do you mind repeating what you just said? |

|I agree with ______ and I’d like to clarify by adding…. |____________, can you clarify what you just said for me? |

|I agree with _______ and I have more important evidence to support the point… |Let me make sure I understand. Your historical argument, ________, is that … |

Looking for extra credit: As you speak and write, cite real-world examples of when these governments have been effective and ineffective and history or even today

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